Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suwalki and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,491 in Suwalki, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Suwalki
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Suwalki Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Suwalki

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,491

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Suwalki and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Suwalki and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,491 per month in Suwalki vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Suwalki $1,491
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,038 per month in Suwalki vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Suwalki $2,038
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,585 per month in Suwalki vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Suwalki $2,585
Chiang Mai $1,999

Suwalki costs about 59% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Suwalki sits 10% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.18 zł 20.38

$2.13 ฿72.0

143.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.65 zł 81.2

$18.62 ฿628

10.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 zł 35.16

$5.60 ฿189

59.64%

Cappuccino

$3.29 zł 12.93

$1.66 ฿56.1

98.19%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 zł 3.63

$0.65 ฿21.82

41.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 zł 8.61

$0.30 ฿10.29

630.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.52 zł 17.79

$2.32 ฿78.3

94.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 zł 19.51

$3.67 ฿124

35.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 zł 3.80

$2.02 ฿68.0

-51.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 zł 3.42

$1.41 ฿47.49

-38.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 zł 4.33

$1.39 ฿46.94

-20.86%

Eggs

$2.66 zł 10.47

$2.37 ฿79.9

12.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.80 zł 30.69

$16.52 ฿557

-52.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.21 zł 20.49

$2.67 ฿90.1

95.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.37 zł 25.07

$9.02 ฿304

-29.38%

Apples (1kg)

$0.73 zł 2.88

$2.40 ฿80.9

-69.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 zł 6.61

$1.04 ฿35.12

61.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 zł 6.57

$1.66 ฿56.0

0.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 zł 15.87

$1.56 ฿52.6

158.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.53 zł 2.08

$1.24 ฿41.75

-57.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 zł 3.57

$1.09 ฿36.65

-16.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 zł 4.42

$0.76 ฿25.70

47.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 zł 1.44

$0.51 ฿17.34

-27.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.24 zł 24.56

$4.12 ฿139

51.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.43 zł 25.30

$17.93 ฿605

-64.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 zł 4.48

$1.62 ฿54.8

-29.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 zł 6.78

$2.82 ฿95.2

-39.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 zł 4.09

$0.93 ฿31.52

11.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.22 zł 119

$52.9 ฿1,784

-42.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.60 zł 10.24

$1.18 ฿39.69

120.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 zł 4.92

$0.17 ฿5.78

635.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.48 zł 49.09

$1.81 ฿61.1

589.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 zł 6.69

$1.47 ฿49.67

15.65%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.0K zł 118.1K

$21.0K ฿708.7K

42.80%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$29.9K zł 117.6K

$26.5K ฿894.4K

12.71%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$346 zł 1,361

$62.6 ฿2,110

452.89%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$8.97 zł 35.31

$11.60 ฿391

-22.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.78 zł 62.1

$20.30 ฿685

-22.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.42 zł 151

$37.88 ฿1,278

1.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.85 zł 86.0

$3.70 ฿125

490.54%

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 zł 35.60

$6.51 ฿220

39.02%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$595 zł 2,339

$727 ฿24.5K

-18.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K zł 57.4K

$16.6K ฿559.0K

-11.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 zł 422

$53.5 ฿1,806

100.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.72 zł 152

$24.80 ฿836

56.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 zł 412

$90.4 ฿3,049

15.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 zł 445

$72.0 ฿2,428

57.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$592 zł 2,330

$481 ฿16.2K

23.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$528 zł 2,076

$310 ฿10.5K

70.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$969 zł 3,813

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-8.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$811 zł 3,192

$659 ฿22.2K

23.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,953 zł 11.6K

$2,418 ฿81.5K

22.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,184 zł 8,595

$1,609 ฿54.3K

35.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,446 zł 5,690

$595 ฿20.1K

143.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

5.57

20.11%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Suwalki: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Suwalki

$528 35.4%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 41.3% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suwalki

$371 24.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 74.5% $276

Groceries & Markets

Suwalki

$177 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 33.8% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Suwalki

$164 11%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 33.9% $55

Eating Out

Suwalki

$153 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 49.8% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Suwalki

$57 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 9.9% $5.6

Getting Around

Suwalki

$43 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 35.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $592 in Suwalki versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Suwalki are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Suwalki versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $177 in Suwalki vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Suwalki wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Suwalki

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:39 11:39 AM

17:39 5:39 PM

6 h ahead of Suwalki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

69,575

127,240

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.254 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3.93 PLN (1 PLN = 0.254 USD). 1 EUR = 4.41 PLN (1 PLN = 0.227 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Suwalki Chiang Mai 7,420 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Suwalki
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Suwalki vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suwalki costs about 59% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,237 per month in Suwalki and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $592 in Suwalki.

Kindergarten costs $595 per month in Suwalki and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 25% cheaper in Suwalki – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,491 in Suwalki and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,491 in Suwalki. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Suwalki makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.